Grand MAYDAY anniversary in Dortmund’s Westfalenhallen on 30 April – Classic Floor with the DJs from the very first years 1991 saw 6,000 people celebrating the first MAYDAY in Berlin. 25 years later over 20,000 visitors are expected to converge on the halls of Dortmund’s Westfalenhallen for MAYDAY “Twenty Five”. Over 50 top international artists of the electronic music scene, including “Robin Schulz”, “Sven Väth”, “Jeff Mills”, “R3HAB” and “Showtek”, will be playing on one of the five floors on 30 April. A highlight will surely be the “Twenty Dome” with a host of DJs from the very first years, such as “Lenny Dee”, “Tanith”, “Ravers Nature” and “Hardfloor”.

Berlin, December 1991: The youth radio station “DT64” is faced with closure. The still-young techno scene is shocked. At that time the station was one of the first to play “techno music”. Scene activists organise a rescue party putting out the distress call: “MAYDAY, MAYDAY”. It is the genesis of the first major rave in Germany and MAYDAY goes on to become the unmissable event of an entire generation.

The move to Dortmund is as early as 1993, with the spacious halls of the Westfalenhallen playing host to 16,000 “ravers”. Acts such as “The Prodigy” and “Moby” are on stage. Electronic music is not just a trend but is inexorably developing into the seminal youth subculture of the 90s. MAYDAY continues to grow in the years to follow. New floors are set up in addition to the “Arena” for techno, house and the “harder styles”. Attendance figures climb to an all-time high, with 27,000 visitors at the 2011 20th anniversary.

At this year’s MAYDAY “Twenty Five” over 50 DJs and LiveActs will be delivering the entire gamut of electronic music on the five floors. Not just one but a total of three Dutch superstars will be at the decks in the form of “R3HAB”, “Showtek” and “Blasterjaxx”. According to DJ Mag, a leading international magazine for the dance scene, all three rank among the Top 50 of the best DJs inthe world. But a match for anybody as well are the German DJ stars with none other than “Robin Schulz”, “Gestört aber GeiL” and “Moguai”. It is especially “Robin Schulz” with his countless hits and awards who has enjoyed a meteoric career in the last two years. His most recent singles “Waves”, “Prayer in C” and “Sugar” all shot to the top of the German charts. Over 30 platinum awards worldwide and a Grammy nomination further testify to his extraordinary success.

By way of contrast, “techno” orbits more on the fringes of mainstream. Perhaps despite this or precisely because of it, the genre enjoys huge popularity in the scene. The second largest floor at MAYDAY goes by the name of “Empire” and will feature techno acts such as “Len Faki”, “Klaudia Gawlas”, “Slam” and “Niereich”. But also on the bill are two truly legendary DJs of the electronic music scene: “Sven Väth” and “Jeff Mills”. They both actually played at MAYDAY in the first two years and are still two of the most sought-after DJs on the planet. Definitely one notch harder at least will be hard-core acts such as “Noize Suppressor”, “Partyraiser” and “Dr. Peacock” in the “Factory”, while the likes of “AKA AKA feat. Thalstroem” and “The Disco Boys” will be delivering groovy house beats in the “Mixery-Casino”.

To reflect the event’s rich tradition at this year’s anniversary MAYDAY, artists such as “Lenny Dee”, “Hardfloor”, “Tanith” and “Ravers Nature” have also been invited – all of them DJs who played at MAYDAY in its very first years. They will be appearing on a special Classic Floor, the “Twenty Dome”, and playing the tracks of yesteryear. Lighting, visuals and sound on this floor will also be reminiscent of the first years of MAYDAY.

MAYDAY is renowned for its impressive show production. Whether huge LED surfaces or kinetic constructions, the MAYDAY designers come up with new ideas each and every year. Last year 350 tonnes of state-of-the-art light, LED, laser, video and sound systems were installed on an area covering more than 20,000 square metres. It’s certainly not going to be any less for the 25th anniversary on 30 April.

Details in brief: “The Mother of all raves”:
The largest and most time-honoured German indoor event for electronic music celebrates its 25th anniversary.

LineUp: More than 50 (inter)national DJ and LiveActs on five different Floors

No. of people expected: 20,000 - 25,000
Ticket price: Advance tickets 58,- EUR / Box office 68,- EUR
How to get there: Free travel to and from the venue with the admission ticket on all “VRR” public transport (2nd class) in the VRR zone. www.vrr.de